


i will bring you rings of gold (i'll keep your laugh inside me).

by paleromantic



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: (Luckily neil is also a big gay who loves his boyfriend), Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Andrew is a big gay who loves his boyfriend, Baby andreil, Ditto for Neil with Abby and Wymack, How many proposals can one man write? Stay tuned, I love them okay I am como se dice a soft bitch, I watched a lot of wedding stuff today leave me alone, M/M, This is gratuitous fluff and that's that on that, Trauma? Idk her Andrew lived a fulfilling happy life after getting adopted by Bee okay, kindergarten crushes, marriage proposals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-11-02 03:37:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20609420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paleromantic/pseuds/paleromantic
Summary: “Ask your mom, then.” Andrew held up a carrot stick, breaking it in half to share it with Neil before stealing one of his oreos. “Bee said I could marry a boy if I wanted.”Neil wrinkled his nose, giggling. “You’re too young to get married!”“When I’m older,duh.” Andrew huffed. “Six year olds can’t get married.”





	i will bring you rings of gold (i'll keep your laugh inside me).

**Author's Note:**

> Should I be working on my remix fic? Yes
> 
> Can you stop me? No.
> 
> Enjoy! <3

The schoolyard was absolutely buzzing with life as Andrew Minyard stepped on to the tarmac, lunchbox clenched tight in his hands. Apart from home time (of course), lunch time was his favourite time of the day- he got to eat, and go outside, and most importantly he got to talk to Neil without the stupid teacher telling them to be quiet. Thesun was making him sweat more than usual, but Andrew was pretty used to the constant discomfort by now since he’d been moved to his new home with Betsy Dobson. 

Neil was waiting for him on the furthest bench from the door. Andrew could see his auburn hair (Betsy had taught him the word- she had said that red wasn’t quite as accurate as Andrew thought it was. Andrew trusted her enough to correct himself) through the other children that were standing around, and he immediately started to cross the yard to join him. 

“Andrew!” Neil’s face brightened with a toothy grin, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Andrew smiled back- he liked being around Neil.

“Bee packed me carrot sticks today.” Andrew’s tongue caught between his teeth as he spoke, and he frowned. His mother had told him that the sound was adorable, but he didn’t agree-  _ Neil’s  _ voice didn’t do that.

“I love carrot sticks.” Neil moved over on the bench so Andrew could sit down. “My mom always gives me celery, she says it’s good for me.”

“Celery is gross.” Andrew huffed and then opened his lunchbox. Bee always packed him a nice lunch- Andrew knew that the men who had brought him to her had told her about how he didn’t get nice food where he used to be. 

“You’re gross.” Neil pouted and then lifted a celery stick, taking a bite of it as if in protest. 

Andrew ignored him, tearing his sandwich up into bite sized pieces before starting to eat them. “Bee is taking me to Germany next month.”

Neil widened his eyes. “Forever?”

“No, idiot.” Andrew rolled his eyes and offered Neil some sandwich chunks. Neil took one delicately. “My cousin Nicky is getting married to his boyfriend.”

Bee had taken it upon herself to find whatever blood relatives she could for Andrew as soon as he had come to stay with her- and she had succeeded, against all odds. It hadn’t taken her long to find Andrew’s birth mother, and through her she had found a twin brother and a cousin who lived all the way across the ocean. Andrew had never met either of them- if he hadn’t trusted Bee so much, he wouldn’t have thought they were real at all.

“Two boyfriends?” Neil’s mouth fell open slightly. “You can do that?”

Andrew nodded confidently- Bee had assured him that you could, when he asked. “His name is Erik.”

Neil seemed deep in thought for a moment, and then he pouted again, pushing his bottom lip out cutely. “I want to go to Germany.”

“Ask your mom, then.” Andrew held up a carrot stick, breaking it in half to share it with Neil before stealing one of his oreos. “Bee said I could marry a boy, if I wanted.”

Neil wrinkled his nose, giggling. “You’re too young to get married!”

“When I’m older,  _ duh _ .” Andrew huffed. “Six year olds can’t get married.”

“Maybe I could marry a boy when I’m older.” Neil blinked, wide eyed, before turning to Andrew. “But Abby said that Coach is her best friend- so I should marry my best friend too.”

It went unspoken that they were each other’s best friend.

Andrew hummed quietly, kicking his legs before tilting his lunchbox towards the other boy. “If I give you the rest of my carrot sticks, will you marry me when we’re old enough?”

Neil seemed overjoyed at the prospect of more carrot sticks, and he beamed his toothy smile again with a nod. Andrew, satisfied, pushed all of his carrot sticks into his lunchbox. 

“Pinky promise?”

Neil held out his hand, linking his pinky with Andrew’s already outstretched one. “Pinky promise.”

When the bell rang for class again, they walked inside together to put their coats and lunch away, and when Andrew told his mother the news when he got home she almost dropped her cup from laughing.

*

The gentle sound of the shower was barely audible over the rattling of the rain outside, and Andrew was five seconds and another sip of cocoa away from melting into his seat. King was curled into his side, and using the extent of his energy he lifted a hand to run his fingers through her fur. Quietly, she  _ mrrp _ ’d and turned to look at him. 

He chuckled and then took a small sip of cocoa, pushing himself up and leaving the cats to fend for themselves on the couch- dinner wouldn’t make itself, and Neil had just gotten home from work and fallen into the shower ten minutes earlier. It was therapeutic to set up the pots that he would need, the same routine that he had had for much of his life. Bee had taught him how to cook, had taught Aaron when she had finally been able to gain custody of him. She had always said that the way to a man’s (or woman’s, in Aaron’s case) heart was through his stomach, and that had proven true he supposed. Neil and Katelyn both enjoyed their cooking, or so they told them. Neil hadn’t complained yet, anyways. 

He boiled the kettle and put on the vegetables first, before setting to work searing off chicken and wrapping it in bacon, putting it in the oven and then moving to pour Neil a drink as the shower turned off. 

After a minute or so, Neil stepped into the kitchen wearing ratty old sweats and a t-shirt, a damp looking towel hanging around his neck. He crossed the room immediately to wrap his arms around Andrew’s waist, allowing Andrew to feel the heat from the shower radiating from him. 

“How was work?”

Neil groaned into his shoulder, and then pulled back. “I’m so sore.”

“Ah, the life of a professional athlete. Rife with suffering.” Andrew snorted and kissed the crown of Neil’s head. “Take your drink and go sit down, dinner will be a while.”

“You’re too good to me.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Andrew rolled his eyes and smacked Neil’s hand away as he reached for the cooking food. “You’re worse than the fucking cats, Josten.”

“You love me!” Neil laughed as he went back into the sitting room, and Andrew couldn’t argue with that. 

Once the coast was clear, Andrew returned to the cooking for a few moments before leaning up to open one of the overhead drawers, feeling around for the small felt box that he had hidden there. He knew that Neil wouldn’t look for it there, that it would be safe while he considered the perfect way to ask the most important question of their lives. Finally though, he thought that he was ready.

Dinner was quick work, and once it was plated Andrew balanced the plates and drinks with his arms- he had worked as a waiter briefly when he was seventeen, in one of Betsy’s friend’s restaurants, and it had given him skills that he actually used. 

“Oh shit, that smells good.” Neil brought his feet down from where he had propped them up and shooed Sir off onto the ground so Andrew could sit down and pass the plate along. “You’ve outdone yourself, Drew.”

Andrew cut up his chicken into pieces and popped one into his mouth, pushing a brussel sprout to the side. Neil stabbed a sprout with his fork, taking a bite of it and humming. 

King came up to them to investigate what they were eating, and Neil moved his foot to stop her from jumping up towards them. Andrew watched them, affection blooming in his chest. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be here, with his family- the family that he had built with Neil.

Now that he was planning to ask the question that he had been planning for weeks, it crystallised in his throat. “Neil-”

Neil looked over at him, mopping up some gravy with the half sprout on his fork and putting it in his mouth. “Mm?”

Andrew steeled his nerves, and then tilted the plate towards the other man. “If I give you the rest of my brussel sprouts, will you marry me? We’re old enough now.”

Neil froze mid chew, swallowing his mouthful with a wince. First confusion, and then recognition dawned on his face, and he broke off into a chuckle. “You just want to get rid of your brussel sprouts, Drew.”

“Do I?” Andrew pulled the ring out of his pocket, holding it between his forefinger and thumb and watching as Neil’s mouth fell open slightly. 

There was a moment of silence, and then Neil leaned forward to pluck the ring from his fingers. “You’re such a fucking sap, Andrew Minyard. We were  _ six _ .” 

Andrew feigned annoyance. “Wow, I try to be romantic  _ one _ time. Fuck me, I guess.” 

Neil grinned and put the ring on, staring at his finger for a moment. “Technically, we’ve been engaged for twenty years, you know. It’s about time you put an actual ring on it.”

“Watch yourself or I’ll be taking it back, Josten.”

Neil giggled and then put his plate down, moving closer to press a gentle kiss to Andrew’s cheekbone, moving downwards and across in a swooping arc to quickly kiss his lips. “I love you, you romantic dumbass.”

Andrew rolled his eyes but kissed him back, breaking away to push King back gently from their abandoned dinner plates. “I take it you’re saying yes, then?”

“I’ll think about it.” Neil smiled softly. “The ring is beautiful, Drew.”

“Mom helped me pick it out.” Andrew shrugged and then lifted Neil’s hand to inspect it. The simple gold band was engraved with their anniversary, the fateful day back when they were fourteen when Andrew had finally mustered the courage to tell Neil that their platonic relationship might have been a little less platonic than it had been before. 

“I love you.” Neil tugged Andrew’s hand up to press a kiss to his knuckles, the cracked skin on his lip tickling just slightly. 

Andrew allowed himself to go pink. “I love you too, Neil.”

  
  



End file.
